Home Sweet Home
This is what it looks like from several thousand feet. A buddy of mine took this photo a while back when he was transiting between Baghdad and Mosul and flew right past us. The sandy colored area is the post and it is almost 9000 acres or 21 square miles. You can see the Tigris River just to the upper part of the photo. The view is looking Easterly so North is to the left.
You can see a lot of greenery. This is an alluvial plain and has been flooded many, many times over the past few thousand years. Even though it is sediment and silted topsoil it is still only good for a few crops as it is very high in mineral content and salt. Not much grows but what does flourishes. We have been very dissapointed in soil and water quality here.
It makes it hard on the Civil Affairs guys as they are used to dealing with folks on hardscrabble existences but not with soil this bad in an area that should be fertile. The water is foul at times too. Fresh water is dear here and it should not be. Like many former Soviet bloc nations, Saddam and his gang of thugs had contempt for the environment. I try and suppress it but the California Tree Hugger in me comes out at times.
Don't worry, the pic is unclassified. You can share it.
posted by flythemig29 at 7:21 PM
2 Comments:
This is a different perspective of what one would imagin on the ground. I am almost disorientated but the bright white on the left (north) is a "trailer park" and then the dark spot on the center of the picture (East) is the "Black lagoon". Am I right?
God I miss that place. I would drag my balls across a mile of busted glass to come back!
This shot is over a year old. That was correct then but not now.
I don't think that busted glass is necessary but you should contact Big Lou. He is hurting for qualified personnel right now.
Post a Comment
<< Home